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Can I have my gas switched off as I cant afford the standing charges?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
August 7, 2022
6 replies
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Im wondering if I can turn my gas off as I can’t afford to use it and don’t want the standing charge either.
Also if I go onto PAYG and don’t top it up will they still take the standing charge.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Best answer by Blastoise186

Updated on 25/08/26 by Ben_OVO

Hi @Karlsa ,

If you’re never planning to use gas ever again, the best solution would be to have the gas supply permanently disconnected. This will prevent you using gas at all, but would also terminate all charges related to it from the data the gas meter is removed.

Please don’t go onto PAYG with the mindset that this will solve the problem however - it definitely won’t and you’ll just end up racking up a huge debt. Even if you leave the meter with no credit for months on end, you’re still being charged with the Daily Standing Charges and they will accumulate a significant debt that would have to be repaid from future top-ups.

With that being said however, I feel there’s a better solution here. Please check out this article from OVO as they’ll be best placed to help you out. Don’t suffer in silence and please don’t be afraid to ask for help with your energy bills if you’re struggling.

These articles give more info on what’s involved when removing a supply:

Blastoise186

Best Answer

Super User

Updated on 25/08/26 by Ben_OVO

Hi @Karlsa ,

If you’re never planning to use gas ever again, the best solution would be to have the gas supply permanently disconnected. This will prevent you using gas at all, but would also terminate all charges related to it from the data the gas meter is removed.

Please don’t go onto PAYG with the mindset that this will solve the problem however - it definitely won’t and you’ll just end up racking up a huge debt. Even if you leave the meter with no credit for months on end, you’re still being charged with the Daily Standing Charges and they will accumulate a significant debt that would have to be repaid from future top-ups.

With that being said however, I feel there’s a better solution here. Please check out this article from OVO as they’ll be best placed to help you out. Don’t suffer in silence and please don’t be afraid to ask for help with your energy bills if you’re struggling.

These articles give more info on what’s involved when removing a supply:

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!

M.isterW

Rank 6

If you're an OVO customer there is a charge for removing your gas meter. I think it's currently £160.

It's a permanent solution so you should only consider it if you're sure you won't ever use gas in your property.

1992 4 bed detached house. Solar PV + battery, Zappi EV charger, Mitsubishi Ecodan ASHP and i-life2 fan assisted radiators.... No gas 😊

Jeffus

Rank 20

@Tim_OVO this is an interesting question given the potential dramatic issues we may see over the next year.

Have OVO, ofgem and the industry given any thought to temporary solutions in terms of the standing charge for people in desperate situations where they want to stop using gas until things settle down? Am curious to know if it has been discussed anywhere? Obviously I appreciate it is not simple in terms of operating costs. But these aren't normal times now.

K

KarlsaAuthor

Rank 1

Im wondering if I can turn my gas off as I can’t afford to use it and don’t want the standing charge either.
Also if I go onto PAYG and don’t top it up will they still take the standing charge.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi @Karlsa ,

If you’re never planning to use gas ever again, the best solution would be to have the gas supply permanently disconnected. This will prevent you using gas at all, but would also terminate all charges related to it from the data the gas meter is removed.

Please don’t go onto PAYG with the mindset that this will solve the problem however - it definitely won’t and you’ll just end up racking up a huge debt. Even if you leave the meter with no credit for months on end, you’re still being charged with the Daily Standing Charges and they will accumulate a significant debt that would have to be repaid from future top-ups.

With that being said however, I feel there’s a better solution here. Please check out this article from OVO as they’ll be best placed to help you out. Don’t suffer in silence and please don’t be afraid to ask for help with your energy bills if you’re struggling.

@Tim_OVO this is an interesting question given the potential dramatic issues we may see over the next year.

Have OVO, ofgem and the industry given any thought to temporary solutions in terms of the standing charge for people in desperate situations where they want to stop using gas until things settle down? Am curious to know if it has been discussed anywhere? Obviously I appreciate it is not simple in terms of operating costs. But these aren't normal times now.

Hi. Thanks for the reply.
It’s not so much that I can’t afford the payments, it’s just that I don’t want to pay a standing charge daily when I only use my gas for the central heating in the winter for 4 months in the winter. It’s just a one bed flat. The standing charge is about £17 a month and I begrudge paying this company more than I have to.

Jeffus

Rank 20

Im wondering if I can turn my gas off as I can’t afford to use it and don’t want the standing charge either.
Also if I go onto PAYG and don’t top it up will they still take the standing charge.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Hi @Karlsa ,

If you’re never planning to use gas ever again, the best solution would be to have the gas supply permanently disconnected. This will prevent you using gas at all, but would also terminate all charges related to it from the data the gas meter is removed.

Please don’t go onto PAYG with the mindset that this will solve the problem however - it definitely won’t and you’ll just end up racking up a huge debt. Even if you leave the meter with no credit for months on end, you’re still being charged with the Daily Standing Charges and they will accumulate a significant debt that would have to be repaid from future top-ups.

With that being said however, I feel there’s a better solution here. Please check out this article from OVO as they’ll be best placed to help you out. Don’t suffer in silence and please don’t be afraid to ask for help with your energy bills if you’re struggling.

@Tim_OVO this is an interesting question given the potential dramatic issues we may see over the next year.

Have OVO, ofgem and the industry given any thought to temporary solutions in terms of the standing charge for people in desperate situations where they want to stop using gas until things settle down? Am curious to know if it has been discussed anywhere? Obviously I appreciate it is not simple in terms of operating costs. But these aren't normal times now.

Hi. Thanks for the reply.
It’s not so much that I can’t afford the payments, it’s just that I don’t want to pay a standing charge daily when I only use my gas for the central heating in the winter for 4 months in the winter. It’s just a one bed flat. The standing charge is about £17 a month and I begrudge paying this company more than I have to.

@Karlsa

Unfortunately there aren't any tariff like that where you can pay no or a reduced standing charge at certain times a year.

In the past a few suppliers had tariff with reduced or no standing charge, but higher unit rates, these worked for a few low energy users. Martin Lewis from MoneySavingExpert has talked about similar tariffs recently for low users. So keep an eye out for anything he says. You would need to contact all suppliers to see if they offer something like this.

Let us know if you find any tariff with no or reduced standing charge.